Shinobi
by T'Liana
Summary: Things should have been better at this school, emphasis on should. But they weren't. Not really. That's why he'd started playing the online mmorpg game Shinobi. Let Fate, cliche and irony reign! SasuNaru.
1. Chapter 1

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

This is the first SasuNaru I wrote. I thought it was a cute idea so I rolled with it and it's not my most refined story, but I think it's cute. Enjoy!

o.O.o

 **Shinobi**

Normal = General chat

 **Bold** = Clan chat

 _Italic_ = Private chat

 **Chapter 1**

Things should have been better at this school, emphasis on _should_. They weren't. Not really.

Naruto Uzumaki had arrived at Kohona High at the beginning of the school year and was immediately pegged as a geek and a loser, dropping his chance at making friends. His guardian, a well-known publisher, had urged the boy to go outside his protective shell and strive to gain friendships that would last for years. Jiraiya's words, not Naruto's. Needless to say, Naruto didn't have the confidence to do that.

So he sat there silently: eyes either on his books or the teacher. If he wasn't going to have friends, he might as well get good marks. However that didn't assist in the loneliness he always felt after school and on weekends. Jiraiya always worked late and Naruto was always alone, wandering the empty house with a huge weight in his chest.

That was why he'd started playing _Shinobi_.

o.O.o

Kyuubi appeared for the first time, standing stock-still amidst the forest. He took a tentative step forward, as if testing his own mobility, and stopped. A stranger approached.

 **Stranger** : Greetings ninja! Welcome to the Shinobi world! Here you can go on missions, learn jutsu, and travel our extensive world! Is there anything you would like to know?

 **Kyuubi** : Ya. What a jutsu?

 **Stranger** : A jutsu is an ability that you will soon gain as you discover them.

That was vague. Kyuubi turned away from the stranger and strolled through the forest. He wasn't sure what to do, so he took stock of his situation. Genin level 1, 5-health, 10-Chakra, no inventory. What was Chakra? Kyuubi shook his head and forged on, selecting the map icon on the top corner of the screen. He was treated with a view of all the lands. Right now he was in the Land of Fire, bordered by the Land of Earth and the Land of Rivers. He glanced over the map, easily memorising its contents, and put it away. The nearest village was Kohonagakure and that was his target.

Kyuubi reached the village with little incident. He'd done some research and knew that the only way he could buy stuff was by doing missions, but he didn't know where to get missions. Another player passed by and he hailed them.

 **Kyuubi** : Where do u get missions?

 **Tra_cker** : U new?

 **Kyuubi** : Ya.

 **Tra_cker** : Go 2 top of tower, find office. Hokage Tsunade is there. She gives u missions. What ur jutsu?

 **Kyuubi:** What's a jutsu?

 **Tra_cker** : Ur kidding. A jutsu is ur power.

 **Kyuubi** : Where do u get them?

 **Tra_cker** : Go 2 tower & find library. Or go find teacher. U need cash 4 teacher, u got cash?

 **Kyuubi** : No. I go 2 library?

 **Tra_cker** : Ya. Cya. Good luck.

 **Kyuubi** : Ty.

 **Tra_cker:** Yw.

With that, Tra_cker wandered away. Kyuubi felt that they wouldn't meet again. He checked the map again and located the tower, marking it. From there it was easy to follow the marker and get into the tower. It was harder to navigate the many corridors and stairs, but Kyuubi finally reached the top. He found Tsunade's office easily and went to go through the door.

 _You have not learned any jutsu. Come back when you have._

Great. Kyuubi began to hunt through the tower, looking for the library that Tra_cker had mentioned. Ah. It was right down the very bottom. How predictable. He was allowed into this room and drew his cursor over all the books. It rested on a thick volume sitting atop a pedestal. Kyuubi approached warily.

It was a jutsu book and he had five options: transformation, shadow clone, substitution, invisibility and rope escape. He was to select one. Obviously all new Genin had to pick one of the five, so he picked one. He selected the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Immediately copies of him filled the room and Kyuubi panicked, shutting off the technique. The copies disappeared. Perhaps he should try training with his technique before going on missions. He didn't want a side of epic with that fail.

o.O.o

He had been playing for weeks and it hadn't gone to waste. Kyuubi successfully mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu and was allowed to go on his first mission, a D-rank. It was the only mission he was capable of doing because he was inexperienced and he had no good gear. He needed money for that.

For his first mission he was to leave the Land of Fire and take a letter to the Land of Rivers. He completed the mission within twenty minutes, losing no health or Chakra. Upon his return to Kohonagakure he was paid a small amount. He bought a kunai and went straight onto his second mission. At the end of that one he levelled up.

Kyuubi was very good at doing missions and on occasion he was challenged to fight by other Genin. He beat them every time. After a week he gathered the courage to travel to the Land of Lightning, where he was almost killed by a person of Genin level 9. Thanks to an energy bar he was able to escape with 1-health and keep his inventory.

He learned so much about the game as well. There were 9 separate areas: the Land of Earth, Land of Fire, Land of Iron, Land of Lightning, Land of Snow, Land of Sound, Land of Water, Land of Wind and Land of Sky. Each land possessed different villages, like how the Land of Fire had Kohonagakure and the Land of Rivers had Tanigakure. Players were able to visit all the different lands and embark on missions from different villages.

The more missions he did, and the more people he fought, the higher levels he reached. Soon Kyuubi would be Chuunin level, and after that he would be Jounin and then Kage. Only the most elite players were Kage and that was something Kyuubi wanted to achieve. There were ten stages to pass before going up a level and he was currently on level 8 of Genin. Five more missions and he was Chuunin.

After that, he could leave the Genin world and go to a Chuunin world that only Chuunin were allowed to play on. It prevented senior players from preying on newbies and Kyuubi quite liked that aspect of the game. He was fine with fighting other Genin. After all, he was good with his jutsu.

Jutsu were probably the most important part of the game. Players began with one of five and they were stuck with that one for the whole Genin world. When they reached Chuunin they could select other jutsu to specialise in, provided they had money, and they were free to learn jutsu techniques as they pleased. The only downside of that was that jutsu used Chakra and the more powerful the technique, the more Chakra it used. At level 8, Kyuubi had 19-Chakra and he could only use his jutsu three times before his Chakra was depleted. He had to work on that.

 **Kyuubi** : Chuunin lvl, here I come!


	2. Chapter 2

Normal = General chat

 **Bold** = Clan chat

 _Italic_ = Private chat

 **Chapter 2**

The second bell rang, the one that signified the beginning of class. Naruto was the only one in the room when the bell sounded, as usual. The rest of the class were probably still in their lunch spots, eating or chatting or doing whatever it was popular kids did.

Two seconds passed and Sasuke Uchiha – golden boy, sun-shines-from-his-butt – entered the room, eyes half-lidded in a look of deadpan boredom. He sat at the back of the classroom and began to stare out the window. After another minute, Neji Hyuga and Gaara Sabaku strolled in. Neji sat beside Sasuke and took out his neat and orderly books. Gaara's own books were tattered and covered in scrawls, as he had a habit of writing kanji all over the pages. The three boys were good friends and often represented their school in academic competitions.

Rock Lee barrelled through the door, backpack swinging, praying that he wasn't late. He landed heavily in the seat beside Gaara and promptly instigated his chatty routine. Seriously, that kid didn't know when to shut up! Naruto thought he balanced out the friendships of the other three boys, for where they were serious he was playful and fun. Lee was easily the most high-strung boy in the class.

Four more boys were hot on Lee's heels. Shino Aburame was first, hands stuffed in his pockets. He and Kiba Inuzuka sat together in the very middle of the room and continued their conversation on pets. Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi also sat together, their usual seats right behind Naruto, and Shikamaru laid his head on his desk while Choji opened a packet of chips and dug in. Naruto was okay with the four boys and they tolerated his presence in the classroom. At least they didn't hate him like-

Speak of the devil! Sakura Haruno had just walked through the door, her strawberry-blonde-pink hair clipped back away from her face. She strode into the classroom, waving flirtatiously at Sasuke, and took her usual seat, hiking her dress up to her thigh. Her best friend, Ino Yamanaka, sat beside her and the two girls gossiped and giggled, occasionally glancing back to look at the Uchiha. Sakura had hated Naruto's guts ever since he arrived and he had no idea why. Ino usually followed Sakura's lead, so the pair always made sure to make fun of the blonde boy whenever possible.

There were nicer girls and they came in now. Hinata Hyuga and Tenten walked in together, talking about the latest science assessment, and sat up the front too. They were nice enough, although they weren't too eager to be friends with Naruto.

Yep, his class was made up of people who either hated him or tolerated him. School wasn't really the best of places for losers like him. Naruto kept his head down as he waited for the teacher, Kakashi Hatake, to arrive. The literacy teacher was always late and constantly invented silly excuses as to why.

How he wished he was playing _Shinobi_ instead of sitting in class. He had fallen in love with the game, where he was known as Kyuubi, and he was very close to Chuunin – the next stage of the game. When he reached that level he could go to a Chuunin world where most of the senior players were. He could learn new jutsu and maybe make a name for himself on the game, since he was a nobody in real life.

Kakashi finally entered the room, a mask covering the bottom half of his face. Everyone knew it was because he had had an accident when he was younger and it resulted in the lower half of his face being brutally scarred. He dumped his books at the front desk and surveyed the students.

"Good afternoon kids," he said calmly. "How are we going with the assignment draft?"

Oh, the assignment on descriptive writing. Naruto had finished the draft already. He nodded quickly and looked at the ground, fidgeting with the zip on his pencil case.

Kakashi continued. "Now today, provided you've completed a good deal of your assignment, we'll be separating into pairs to compare your draft and learn how to make it better."

Naruto swallowed. That was just great. Sasuke partnered with Gaara, Neji with Lee, Shino with Kiba, Shikamaru with Choji, Sakura with Ino, and Hinata with Tenten. Naruto was the odd one out and he sat alone, a blush creeping up his neck. Surely Kakashi knew by now that they had an odd number, but no.

He spent the class sitting quietly by himself, tuning out the other voices. He glanced around once, regretting it instantly as his bright blue eyes locked with onyx ones. Sasuke Uchiha stared at Naruto blankly, dropping his gaze after five awkward moments. Naruto faced the front again and buried his face in his arms, cursing silently. Stupid Sasuke. Why did he have to be so… so… _gorgeous_?

Yeah, Naruto had a major crush on one of the smartest, most popular and sought-after boys in the grade. A _boy_. If anyone else found out they would make his life even more of a living hell because he was gay. Stupid Uchiha. Of all the girls in the school, all the girls in the _world_ , Naruto had to like the one boy who would never like him back. What a cliché. It happened every time.

Naruto was the first one out the door when the bell rang for sixth period.

o.O.o

 _Naruto,_

 _I will be home at nine. Dinner is in the fridge. It's your favourite! I'll see you tonight._

 _Love Jiraiya._

Sighing, Naruto folded the note neatly and stuck it in his pocket. A smile stretched across his face. Another parent-free evening: a whole afternoon of playing _Shinobi_. He just had to do his homework and he would be set.

o.O.o

Kyuubi entered the tower with 2-health and 0-Chakra, completely drained from that last mission. It had been his fifth C-rank and he'd had to defeat two bandits that were camping out along walking trails and attacking passers-by. He knew that if he was challenged now, he wouldn't survive a fight.

Tsunade was in the tower and she paid him for completing the mission. Kyuubi now had a decent amount of money so he decided to go into Kohonagakure and get some food so he could replenish his health. He turned to exit the room, but a notification filled his screen.

 _Congratulations! You have now reached Chuunin level 1!_

He selected the cheering emote and leapt into the air, fists waving wildly. All thoughts of food were forgotten as he logged out of the Genin world, appearing back in the same place. The only difference now was the world he was now in. Kyuubi was in a Chuunin world.

His first act was to go to the Chuunin Kohonagakure and buy food. It was more expensive on this world and it almost wiped out his bank, so he resolved to do more than missions to get money. He could hunt some animals and sell their meat and pelts for money. That wasn't a feature he'd tried yet.

Now his health had been restored to 25 and his Chakra had reloaded just a bit, resting on 2. He wasn't keen to go out and risk a fight, but the urge to explore was overpowering.

Dammit. Kyuubi left Kohonagakure and wandered through the forests, wondering where he could learn a new technique. Shadow Clone Jutsu wouldn't cut it for a Chuunin world, no matter how good he was at using it.

Another player was coming the opposite way. Kyuubi watched him. This player was wearing very high-quality battle gear and had a sword strapped to his back. He stopped as soon as he saw Kyuubi.

 **Sharingan** : Hi.

 **Kyuubi** : Hi.

 **Sharingan** : U on a mission?

 **Kyuubi** : No. I just made Chuunin. Where u learn new jutsu?

 **Sharingan** : U get some1 2 teach u or pay 4 the jutsu.

 **Kyuubi** : ****. Oops. Do u know any1 who can teach me?

 **Sharingan** : I can. I'm Chuunin lvl 5. That's min teaching lvl.

 **Kyuubi** : Would u mind?

 **Sharingan** : No. My clan is looking 4 a new member 2 train up.

 **Kyuubi** : Where r they?

 **Sharingan** : Follow me.

He couldn't believe his luck. Clans were only available for Chuunin and above and could be very dangerous depending on the members. The best way for Kyuubi to survive was to join a clan and Sharingan had done all the work for him!

 **Sharingan** : I've called the clan. They r waiting 4 us at Iwagakure.

 **Kyuubi** : That's ages away.

 **Sharingan** : U ever fast-travelled?

 **Kyuubi** : No. How?

 **Sharingan** : Go to ur jutsu & find travel jutsu. Select Iwagakure.

The tab was easy enough to find and Kyuubi selected the correct jutsu on his list of two. It was a new jutsu that he supposed was only available to Chuunin and above. His entire screen went black for a second before reloading in a different location. He was in Iwagakure. This was a handy jutsu to have, but his Chakra was back at 0. Damn.

 **Sharingan** : U made it. Follow.

The pair walked through the stone village until they reached a training area on the other side. A group of players were already there, standing silently. Or were they really silent?

 **Sharingan** : Guys, this is Kyuubi. He's new.

 **Byakugan** : Does he know jutsu?

 **Sharingan** : If he doesn't, we can train him. U trained me the same.

One of the players approached Kyuubi.

 **Dog-nin48** : I like the look of him. What jutsu do u know?

 **Kyuubi** : Only shadow clone. I just reached Chuunin.

Kyuubi stared at the eight players in the clan. There were Sharingan, Byakugan, Dog-nin48, BushyBrows, Kikaichu, Shadow01, FOOD-lover and Shukaku. All of them looked relatively senior and it was quite intimidating.

 **Shukaku** : I vote u join the clan 4 now, until we know more about u. We don't wan ********.

 **Byakugan** : Language!

 **Shukaku** : I meant d1ckhead.

 **Shadow01** : Honestly Shukaku, he could b 12 & u just scarred him 4 life.

 **Dog-nin48** : Okay ladies, r we gonna add him or not?

 **Sharingan** : Ya. Kyuubi, open ur clan tab & type in Hidden-Leaf. Byakugan is clan leader. He'll accept u.

Kyuubi did as he was told and waited for a second. His clan tab changed and now had Hidden-Leaf written at the top, with the names of the clan members listed underneath. There were only eight – nine if he was included.

 **Sharingan** : Now u r Kyuubi of Hidden-Leaf.

 **Kyuubi** : Awesome! Ty so much!

He discovered that now he had a speech option called 'Clan Chat' and decided to try it out.

 **Kyuubi: Is this clan chat?**

 **Sharingan: Ya. Only the clan will c it.**

 **BushyBrows: Now we can train you to become the best Shinobi you can be!**

 **Sharingan: Just ignore BushyBrows. He gets really annoying at times.**

 **Dog-nin48: Ya, he loves 2 spell words right. Me and Kikaichu r going on a mission. Any1 wanna join?**

 **FOOD-lover: ME!**

 **BushyBrows: YES!**

 **Shukaku: There's nothing else 2 do, so I guess so.**

 **Byakugan: I have 2 log off. Cyas.**

Byakugan left the game, followed by Shadow01. The rest of the clan, excluding Sharingan, left for the mission.

 **Sharingan** : Byakugan left me in charge of ur training. Can u pay 2 learn more jutsu?

 **Kyuubi** : I kinda spent my money on food. I had low health.

 **Sharingan** : Fair enough. I'll pay. I got loads of money. Let's go 2 Kirigakure & u can learn jutsu there. They have the best Chuunin lvl jutsu.

 **Kyuubi** : I'll meet u there.

They fast-travelled and Sharingan led the way to the training grounds. Kyuubi took a look at all the cheapest jutsu but they were lame and not much use in a fight. His eye was caught by a more expensive jutsu called Rasengan. It was powerful, but he didn't have the Chakra to use it.

 **Kyuubi** : The only 1 I like is Rasengan, but I need Chuunin lvl 8 and 70 Chakra. I only have 50 Chakra right now and Chuunin lvl 1.

 **Sharingan** : If u want Rasengan u need 2 do missions. I'll do them wit u.

 **Kyuubi** : Really? That's… that's really nice of u. Ty.

 **Sharingan** : Yw. I like the look of u Kyuubi. Uve got potential.

 **Kyuubi** : Ty. I like the look of u 2. Ur waay nicer than any1 I know in rl.

 **Sharingan** : What u mean?

 **Kyuubi** : At school every1 ignores me. I don't have friends.

 **Sharingan** : We're ur friends now. We'll help u make Jounin & we'll do it as a clan. Now let's do a short mission. I have 2 get off in an hour.

They went to the tower in Kirigakure and chose a C-rank mission. Sharingan coached Kyuubi on how to make the most of a mission and promised that the entire clan would be on tomorrow night and they were going to do a big joint mission, an A-rank.

 **Sharingan** : There's 1 thing I wanna show u before I go. Right click my name on ur clan list & click 'Private Chat'. We can talk privately then & no1 else can c it.

 **Kyuubi** : _Like this?_

 **Sharingan** : _Ya, like that. Night Kyuubi._

 **Kyuubi** : _Night Sharingan._

Sharingan logged off and Kyuubi hesitated before logging off too.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to **bridmatt** for your suggestions on improving this story. I never thought of it that way and you're right, it's not very obvious in the description that Shinobi is a mmorpg. That will change, and thank you for pointing it out.

o.O.o

Normal = General chat

 **Bold** = Clan chat

 _Italic_ = Private chat

 **Chapter 3**

Kyuubi activated his Shadow Clone Jutsu and ordered the clones to attack his quarry. While the two players were preoccupied with his clones, he darted behind them and attacked with shuriken. They quickly retreated and Kyuubi activated his cheering emote, the clones dispersing. Two level 1 Chuunin should have known better than to attack a level 7, soon to be level 8.

Sunagakure laid ahead, an expanse of sand stretching to meet the yellowed brick buildings. Kyuubi watched the two enemy players run away, amused at how weak their attacks had been, and headed in the direction of the village. It was a short walk but it seemed so much longer with the knowledge that once he spoke to the Kazekage he would reach Chuunin level 8. From there, he could learn the Rasengan and add it to his growing list of mastered jutsu.

The last two weeks had been awesome as the Hidden-Leaf clan had become Kyuubi's friends. It was nice to talk to them and feel like they understood the troubles he had. They were sympathetic. They became his friends, especially Sharingan. He even embarked on his first A-rank mission with the rest of them and completed it with ease. Dog-nin48 had almost died chasing an enemy Shinobi, but Kikaichu had defeated the enemy using his special bug jutsu. Kyuubi knew that if he died he would be sent back to Kohonagakure and lose his entire current inventory. Dying would suck.

He stopped at the village market to purchase replacement shuriken before going to see the Kazekage, joining another ten players who were also speaking to the mission-giver.

 _Congratulations! You have now reached Chuunin level 8!_

His first act was to fast-travel to Kirigakure and go to the training grounds. He selected Rasengan and learnt the combo to use it: 6, 2, 0. It took a few tries to get it right and his Chakra was almost depleted by the time he corrected the technique.

 **Kyuubi** : _I did it! I got Rasengan!_

 **Sharingan** : _Awesome! Ur as high as Shadow! He's lvl 8. The rest of us r 9._

 **Kyuubi** : _I've only been on the game 4 about 7 weeks when school term started._

 **Sharingan** : _Mine started then 2, but I've been playing a couple months, around the same time as the clan. Ur doing well._

 **Kyuubi** : _I have a good teacher. Where r u?_

 **Sharingan** : _In Kohonagakure building my house._

 **Kyuubi** : _U want help?_

 **Sharingan** : _Sure._

Kyuubi fast-travelled to Kohonagakure and easily found where Sharingan was building his house. It was a squat little thing with only two bedrooms, but Sharingan had offered to let Kyuubi share. It was a very nice offer and Kyuubi had accepted.

 **Sharingan** : I finished the 1st room. Ur doing the 2nd.

 **Kyuubi** : Ya, I can actually pay 4 it this time. I already paid 4 Rasengan.

 **Sharingan** : The most expensive jutsu I got is Lightning Blade. Ur supposed 2 get this 1 mission where u go 2 the Land of Lightning & part of the mission is 2 cut a lightning bolt in half. I got that mission, so I got the jutsu. It's as powerful as Rasengan.

 **Kyuubi** : We may have 2 fight.

 **Sharingan** : Haha the clan would love that. Dog-nin loves watching people fight.

 **Kyuubi** : Hey, is it possible 4 a Chuunin 2 go 2 a Jounin world?

 **Sharingan** : Ya, coz their lower. Jounin can't come 2 Chuunin worlds & Chuunin can't go 2 Genin worlds.

He hesitated.

 **Sharingan** : NO! Kyuubi, don't go there!

 **Kyuubi** : I didn't say anything.

 **Sharingan** : U r staying here & helping me build our house & u r NOT going 2 a Jounin world. U could die!

 **Kyuubi** : Jeez, no reason 2 get so hahaoya-hennish. It sounds creepy.

 **Sharingan** : Sorry. I just get protective over my friends. Its instinct. Wow, that sounds sooo creepy.

 **Kyuubi** : Ya.

 **Sharingan** : I'm 16 I swear!

 **Kyuubi** : Dude, ur making it weirder.

 **Sharingan** : Sorry. U wanna go get the stuff 4 the living room? I've chosen everything already.

 **Kyuubi** : Sure.

o.O.o

After Sharingan logged off Kyuubi went straight to a Jounin world, noting that it was 10pm and Jiraiya wasn't home.

His first thought was that the Jounin world looked exactly like the Chuunin world. His second thought was that there were a lot more players. Feeling threatened, he ran from Kohonagakure and into the forest, heading in the general direction to the Land of Earth. If he were Jounin he might not feel so inadequate.

 **Chidori34** : What's a Chuunin doing here?

Kyuubi saw a lone player sitting underneath a tree and hesitated. Should he risk staying and possibly dying? Well, he could always log off before that happened.

 **Kyuubi** : Just exploring. I was curious.

 **Chidori34** : Uh huh. What Chuunin level are you?

 **Kyuubi** : Do I have 2 answer that?

 **Chidori34** : No, but use proper spelling. It's so annoying when the kids these days use improper spelling and grammar.

Little alarm bells rang in Kyuubi's head. This guy sounded a bit creepy. Kyuubi began to run, but Chidori34 appeared in front of him. Damn, a Transportation Jutsu.

 **Chidori34** : You won't last long in a Jounin world anyway.

Without using jutsu, Chidori34 began to attack Kyuubi with kunai. The Chuunin desperately tried to repel the attack with his own kunai, but the steel was of poorer quality and snapped. Chidori34 activated the Strong Fist Jutsu and pummelled Kyuubi, dropping his health from 25 to 10 in one blow! He wouldn't survive another hit like that. Then a familiar jutsu appeared around the Jounin's hand, crackling with lightning. Kyuubi still had full Chakra reserves, so he activated his own Rasengan and prepared to fight. To his shock, Chidori34 completed the jutsu in ten seconds and sent it shooting towards the poorly-prepared Chuunin. He had no choice but to log off or die.

o.O.o

Naruto felt like a total idiot. Even after a full nights' sleep he still felt stupid for going against Sharingan's advice and trying his luck on a Jounin world. He simply wasn't prepared. So next time he _would_ be Jounin and he would be joined by his entire clan. They would protect each other.

However that would have to wait. Naruto stretched in his seat, flexing his scrawny arms half-heartedly. These numeracy questions were driving him crazy, but there was no tutoring today so he would have to work on them by himself. Something dumb about scatterplot graphs. He put pencil to paper and wrote neatly, brow furrowed in concentration. These had to be done now or else he'd lose _Shinobi_ time with Sharingan and the Hidden-Leaf clan.

The bell blared and he packed up quickly, heading to science. It was pleasantly warm outside, as spring was touching Japan, and Naruto enjoyed the way the sun kissed his tan skin. He crossed from the library to the science rooms and went straight inside. The science teacher, Orochimaru, was setting up a PowerPoint to help them with their exam in three weeks. Orochimaru was talking with Sasuke, who had surprisingly arrived first, and Naruto averted his eyes from his crush. He sat instead and opened his books, preparing to write notes.

Sakura entered on her own, without Ino (that was weird), and slipped behind Naruto's chair, kicking it forward. His stomach hit the edge of the desk and he let out a surprised breath, followed by an indignant yelp as she gripped his shoulder tightly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said fake-apologetically. She lowered her voice. "I'll bet that's what your parents said to you when you were born."

Naruto flushed and shrugged her hand off, hiding his face in his hands. He didn't see the angry glare Sasuke shot in their direction, nor the grin Sakura sent back.

Lee exploded through the door, dragging a flustered-looking Neji and Gaara behind him. "They are not late sir!" the bushy-browed boy cried. "You cannot give them another strike!"

"No I cannot," Orochimaru said smoothly. "I am very pleased Lee." He looked at Sasuke. "I appreciate your offer Uchiha, but I don't think it's possible."

"Thanks anyway sir," Sasuke nodded. He returned to his seat, hands in his pockets, and joined Neji. Naruto kept his head in his hands until Orochimaru began the lesson.

Things should have been better at this school, but they weren't. Not really.


	4. Chapter 4

Normal = General chat

 **Bold** = Clan chat

 _Italic_ = Private chat

 **Chapter 4**

The first thing he did upon logging on was to tell the clan what he'd done.

 **Kyuubi: Hey guys, I went 2 the Jounin world!**

 **Dog-nin48: Ur kidding! How did u survive!**

 **Kyuubi: I didn't really. This guy Chidori34 almost got me.**

 **Sharingan: I told u not 2 go.**

 **Byakugan: Well he's alive.**

 **BushyBrows: You're alive! Now we can follow your example and strive to reach such a level.**

 **Kikaichu: We r all lvl 9 except 4 Kyuubi & Shadow. It'll take a few more missions 2 reach Jounin.**

 **FOOD-lover: I heard we can kill some1 & lvl up just the same.**

 **Byakugan: How many Jounin were there?**

 **Kyuubi: A lot more than u think. Way more than there r Chuunin.**

 **Byakugan: We'll have 2 plan carefully if we want 2 reach Jounin, or we'll lvl up at different times & b stuck on a Jounin world without the clan.**

 **Shadow01: That'll b inconvenient.**

 **Sharingan** : _I told u not 2 go, Kyuubi._

 **Dog-nin48: I know right? Hey, do u think I should get a pet? I heard of this good jutsu that u use with an animal.**

 **Kikaichu: What would u call it?**

 **Dog-nin48: Akamaru, like my dog.**

Kyuubi's fingers froze on the keyboard, halfway through typing his response to Sharingan. Dog-nin48 had a dog called Akamaru. Kyuubi knew someone who had a dog called Akamaru and his name was Kiba Inuzuka. Could that really be…? His heart beat faster as he realised that it probably was Kiba. So he did have a friend in his class, although Kiba didn't know it.

 **Kyuubi** : _I'm sorry. I was curious._

 **Sharingan** : _It's dangerous. Byakugan is right, we need 2 go at the same time so we have the whole clan with us. If we do go 2 the Jounin world we have 2 go together 4 a better chance of surviving._

 **Kyuubi** : _I didn't think…_

 **Sharingan** : _Of course u didn't._

 **Byakugan: Okay, so let's go on a mission.**

 **Dog-nin48: Another A-rank! Those lvl us up so fast!**

 **Kyuubi: U guys go. I wanna work on my Rasengan. Chidori34 can do his in half the time & I wanna b better.**

 **Byakugan: Sure thing.**

 **Shukaku: There's a jutsu in Sunagakure that I've been saving money up 4. I can afford it now. I'll join u when I've got it.**

 **Byakugan: Okay. We'll be in Kirigakure.**

The clan dispersed, everyone but Shukaku going to Kirigakure. Kyuubi went to the Kohonagakure training grounds and began working on increasing his Chakra and speed. He used up all his Chakra and there was no improvement, so he ate a Chakra booster and began again. As he trained, his thoughts drifted to Sharingan. It felt nice to have someone worry about him, even if he didn't know who it was. And Sharingan's concern had awakened a strange feeling within him, one he'd only ever felt towards a certain Uchiha.

 **Dog-nin48** : _Hey Kikaichu, I got the dog._

 **Kyuubi** : _Wrong person. His name is above mine._

 **Dog-nin48** : _Oops, sorry. But yeah, I got the dog._

 **Kyuubi** : _Congrats. How's the mission going?_

 **Dog-nin48** : _At this rate we'll get it finished b4 we have 2 get off. My sister wants me 2 do the dishes._

 **Kyuubi** : _Well good luck with both of them._

 **Dog-nin48** : _Ty, u 2 with ur training._

Kyuubi went back to his training and drained his Chakra again. This time his Rasengan was faster, but there was still a long way to go. Selecting the cheering emote, he went to the tower and spoke to Tsunade, requesting a nice and easy D-rank mission so he could do something while his Chakra reloaded. His job was to catch some fish for a poor peasant family and he travelled to the Kohonagakure salmon stream to do it. Fishing wasn't something he had experience with, but it wasn't hard. He just got a rod and some bait, clicked on the stream, and the rest was done for him. The fish were added to his inventory and he returned to the tower, handing in his loot for a low sum.

 **FOOD-lover: Night guys. Hahaoya wants me 2 go 2 bed.**

 **Shadow01: I might as well get off 2. That mission was 2 exciting & I'm tired.**

 **Dog-nin48: I have 2 do the dishes anyway. Cyas.**

One by one the Hidden-Leaf clan logged off until just Sharingan and Kyuubi were left.

 **Sharingan** : _Come 2 Kirigakure. We can train?_

 **Kyuubi** : _Sure._

He fast-travelled and joined Sharingan at the Kirigakure training grounds. There weren't many players logged on at this point in time and it was just him and Sharingan who were training right now. One player was leaving as Kyuubi entered, for which he was glad. Alone-time with Sharingan made his fingers tremble over the keyboard.

 **Kyuubi** : Hey.

 **Sharingan** : Hey. Did ur training go well?

 **Kyuubi** : I'm only a little bit faster. I need 2 do a lot more 2 get better. I'm not ready 2 be Jounin.

 **Sharingan** : Not talking like that ur not. Come on, I'll help u.

The two worked on perfecting Chakra flow, which was something Kyuubi had trouble with. He was good at using Shadow Clone now, so Rasengan was next on the list of perfected jutsu. Rasengan had cost a lot and he wasn't letting it go to waste.

Eventually, when both Chakra's were depleted and they had no Chakra boosters left, the players sat down to rest.

 **Sharingan** : _What r ur hopes 4 the future?_

 **Kyuubi** : _Huh?_

 **Sharingan** : _Well, ur at school like me. U should have some idea of what u want 2 do._

 **Kyuubi:** _Not really. I'm an academic, so something 2 do with smarts I guess. I might b a teacher._

 **Sharingan** : _My bro wants me 2 help manage his business when I graduate. Idk the 1st thing about business._

 **Kyuubi** : _Why don't u tell him?_

 **Sharingan** : _I did. He just wants 2 train me._

 **Kyuubi** : _If he's anything like u he'll b a good teacher._

 **Sharingan** : _Really? U think so?_

 **Kyuubi** : _Hey, if u hadn't let me join ur clan I would've died. U guys trained me & I'm now a good player._

 **Sharingan** : _Ty. I guess I needed 2 hear that. Or read it, or whatever._

His fingers hesitated on the keyboard. Kyuubi trusted Sharingan. He trusted him a lot more than he trusted anyone else.

 **Kyuubi** : _Hey, can I tell u something?_

 **Sharingan** : _Sure, anything._

 **Kyuubi** : _I just have 2 get it off my chest. I've never told any1 & I trust u._

 **Sharingan** : _U can trust me._

 **Kyuubi** : _Well I'm… ***._

 **Sharingan** : _Huh?_

 **Kyuubi** : _Damn censor… I'm a guy & I like guys._

 **Sharingan** : _So do I._

 **Kyuubi** : _I'm sorry, what?_

 **Sharingan** : _I'm *** 2. I won't tell any1._

 **Kyuubi** : _Ty. I won't either. Wow I feel so much better now. I've kept it 2 myself 4 a couple years._

 **Sharingan** : _Ur the only person I've told besides my bro. Ty 4 trusting me._

 **Kyuubi** : _Ty 4 trusting me 2._

 **Sharingan** : _R we friends?_

 **Kyuubi** : _I think so. I've never had a friend I've trusted b4._

 **Sharingan** : _We've got the clan. Hold up, I gtg. Talk 2 u tomorrow night?_

 **Kyuubi** : _Ya. Cya._

Sharingan logged off and Kyuubi sat there for a few minutes, shocked at how bold he'd been. He had told Sharingan the truth and he felt a little better, but a bit unsure. Sharingan could be trusted and Kyuubi believed he'd done the right thing. It was just a matter of waiting to see if Sharingan was actually who he said he was: a 16-year-old boy.

o.O.o

His nerves were transferred to school the next day. Jiraiya had been home that morning and had driven Naruto to school, which was great because it saved the teen his usual half-hour walk just to get to school on time.

The morning passed slowly with more working on his literacy assignment, numeracy practice and graphics study. After lunch Naruto managed to cheer up a bit because the library had received several new manga editions that he was able to borrow out over the weekend. He hid them in his art diary and went to the art rooms after the bell rang. Art… he was the only boy in the class. The rest were girls and Sakura was among them. Sometimes he hated being gay because it enabled him to enjoy girly things like art, whereas most straight boys wanted nothing to do with it.

Usually he was ignored and left to do his own thing, but today Sakura sashayed up to his desk and leant against it carelessly.

"Hey nerd," she greeted, "how's it hanging? Oh wait, you don't know cool speak. I'm sorry. How are you faring?"

"I'm good," he muttered, tucking his art diary under his arms and hunching lower in his seat. Nothing good came of talking to Sakura. She just _loved_ to embarrass and humiliate him whenever she got the chance, and he wasn't the only one she made fun of. She was a bully to everyone except for Ino and Sasuke. Stupid Sasuke.

"Well I'm sure your parents would be proud of you. Oh wait, you don't have any parents. Oops! I'm _so_ sorry." She smirked. "Did I hurt your feelings?"

"No," he answered automatically, knowing that the bullying would be worse if he admitted that it _did_ hurt.

"That's good." She waved at Ino, who joined them. "Ino's chichi is turning forty-five on the weekend. If your parents were alive, we'd probably invite them."

"Yeah. Everyone else's parents will be there." Ino snickered behind her hand.

"Excuse me. I have a headache."

Knowing that he would probably regret it later, Naruto stood and rushed from the room, his books spilling from his arms unceremoniously as soon as he crossed the doors threshold. He tripped over his pencil case and just managed to save himself from falling, flushing nervously. With no choice but to go to the sick-bay, he knelt down and gathered his books, vaguely wishing that someone would help him. No one did. He held his books close to his chest and made his way to the office.

Kabuto, the office manager, looked up as the door opened. "Hello. Can I help you?"

"I've got a really bad headache. Can I lie down?"

"Sure." Kabuto stood and gestured for Naruto to come through the office arch. He entered the actual office area and Kabuto led him to a door off to the side. "Now you should be quiet. I've got another student in here with a migraine and try not to disturb him."

"I'll be quiet. I just need to rest for a moment."

"I'll check up on you in ten minutes, see if you're ready to go back to class."

"Thank you."

Kabuto left and Naruto slipped inside the door. There was a bed inside, occupied by a still form with an arm covering his face. A chair sat beside the bed and there was a sliding door at the other end that led to a small toilet and sink. Shelves of medicine lined the wall opposite the bed and Naruto squeezed past it, collapsing in the chair tiredly.

"You sick too?" mumbled the boy on the bed.

"Headache," Naruto replied quietly. "Migraine?"

"My brother tells me I spend too much time looking at computer screens," the boy sighed. He rubbed his face and removed his hand, keeping his eyes closed. Naruto blanched. Of all the people that could have been lying there… it had to be Sasuke Uchiha. Why? Was fate trying to torture him? "Let me guess, headache from not enough water?"

"I guess so."

"Drink something from the sink just there. And be quiet about it."

Naruto obediently tip-toed to the sink and lapped up a few handfuls of water. He sat back down, quieter this time, and stared at Sasuke's pale face.

His crush was incredibly attractive for male standards. Sasuke had spiky black hair, bangs parted to hang on either side of his face, and onyx eyes set against milky-white skin. He was slim with a decent amount of muscle, but he was nowhere near as muscular as Lee. The thing that had drawn Naruto to him was the air of confidence he carried himself with, confidence that the blonde boy lacked.

"Quit staring," Sasuke grumbled. Naruto reddened and looked away, lacing his fingers together nervously. His head hadn't hurt when he entered the sick-bay, but it now began to throb lightly. Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at Naruto for the first time, frowning. "You… you're the smart kid, Naruto Uzumaki."

"You know my name?"

"Yeah, Kakashi always uses your work to show us how it's done."

"Oh." He refrained from mentioning that he'd hoped Sasuke knew his name for a different reason. "I hate it when he does that."

"I know. You always hide your face."

Naruto lowered his eyes and scuffed his feet against the carpet floor and kept his eyes averted from the Uchiha's. "So… too much looking at computer screens?"

"Yeah." He swallowed and let out a breathy sigh. "Me and the other guys in the class play this game. We're on every afternoon. It's called _Shinobi_. You heard of it?"

Oh dear. Yes, Naruto had heard of it. He remembered Dog-nin48, how he had a dog named Akamaru, just like Kiba did. If Kiba was part of the Hidden-Leaf clan, then it stood to reason that the rest of the clan would be the others in the class.

Yes! BushyBrows was Lee, it had to be. FOOD-lover was Choji. None of the other names made much sense, but he somehow knew that his clan was his class. This was _bad_.

"I've heard of it. Is it good?"

"It is." Sasuke groaned and covered his face again. "Can you get Kabuto?"

As if he had a radar-brain, Kabuto opened the door. "You guys okay?"

"My head's doing that thing again," Sasuke moaned.

Kabuto turned to Naruto. "What's your name?"

"Naruto."

"Well Naruto, can you get a glass of water?"

Naruto obediently fetched the water, finding a glass on one of the many shelves. He filled it with tap water and handed it over. Kabuto had an icepack on Sasuke's forehead and made the Uchiha take a pill and drink the water. The office manager looked at the blonde boy.

"Can you stay with him for a few minutes? Just make sure he keeps drinking water." Kabuto stood and left, glancing back once before shutting the door.

Naruto sat quietly, watching Sasuke awkwardly sip water from his horizontal position. "Here," he sighed, leaning forward in the chair, "I'll put a pillow under your head and it'll be easier to drink." Sasuke held his glass steadily and winced as he lifted himself up, squeezing his eyes shut. Naruto quickly shoved a spare pillow under his head and the Uchiha reclined painfully, pressing the icepack tighter against his forehead.

"Thanks," he mumbled, taking another sip.

"So…" Naruto made a popping noise, "you get migraines a lot?"

"Yeah, from looking at the damn computer screen, that and over-exertion, not enough sleep, food or water."

"Maybe you could lower the brightness and it might help. And eat, drink and sleep more." Naruto's breath came faster as he talked to Sasuke, his heart pounding at the Uchiha's calm replies. He was talking to his crush and he wasn't making a fool of himself! Although he did feel like he was being unfaithful to Sharingan in a way, because he liked the mystery boy too. It was just too confusing.

"That might be a good idea, but it's easier said than done." Sasuke laughed humourlessly. "My brother wants me to help him manage his business when I graduate and I can't do that with these stupid migraines."

Naruto froze. His conversation with Sharingan last night came flooding back. _My bro wants me 2 help manage his business when I graduate_.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Oh no… Sharingan was Sasuke Uchiha.


	5. Chapter 5

Normal = General chat

 **Bold** = Clan chat

 _Italic_ = Private chat

 **Chapter 5**

At the helm of the computer, Kyuubi felt a lot better. He noticed that the entire clan, aside from Kikaichu and Dog-nin48, were online.

 **Byakugan: So how r we mission-wise? I wanna know when we can lvl up 2 Jounin.**

 **FOOD-lover: I got a fair way 2 go.**

 **Shadow01: Same. I'm still on lvl 8.**

 **Byakugan: Uve gotta work on it.**

 **BushyBrows: I will persevere and reach Jounin along with my friends!**

 **Sharingan** : _U ok? Uve been quiet._

 **Byakugan: We'll do it together, ok!**

 **Shukaku: Don't pester us dude. We know.**

 **Kyuubi** : _Eh, just a rough day at school._

 **Sharingan** : _Tell me about it. I got a migraine just before class._

All doubt of Sharingan's identity was thrown away. Sharingan was Sasuke; there was no doubt about it. Kyuubi couldn't help but feel awkward talking to him now, knowing who he really was. Would he be able to talk without giving anything away and seeming like a crazy stalker? Only one way to find out.

 **Kyuubi** : _A lot of work 2 do. I should be doing h/w, but the game is funner._

 **Sharingan** : _I know right?_

The clan was in the Kohonagakure, meeting in their usual spot. Byakugan had requested that they meet and do a progress check to see where everyone was at in regards to levelling up. Dog-nin48 was the closest, followed by Byakugan and Sharingan. Shadow01 had the most to do and Kyuubi had only just reached level 9. He would hopefully soon be Jounin and he couldn't've done any of it without the Hidden-Leaf clan.

Their meeting was disturbed as four other players approached, each with female figures. Four girls. Huh. The four players walked up to the Hidden-Leaf clan: Cherry-Blossom13, Violet12, Twin_Rising_Dragons and Byakugan8. Kyuubi frowned at the similarity between Byakugan and Byakugan8.

 **Cherry-Blossom13** : Hey what clan r u?

 **Byakugan** : Hidden-Leaf.

 **Cherry-Blossom13** : We're the Chakra Masters. What lvl r u all?

 **Sharingan** : Nearing Jounin. U?

 **Cherry-Blossom13** : Early Chuunin. Where u get good jutsu? I can't find it.

Just then, Kyuubi noticed his Chakra levels decreasing. He checked his jutsu panel and noticed his Rasengan icon flashing. Glancing at the other clan, he saw Byakugan8 holding her hands together in an unfamiliar jutsu hand-sign.

 **Kyuubi** : _Hey, something weird is happening. My Chakra is going down._

 **Sharingan** : _Oh it's a Chakra-stealing jutsu. I'll get Shadow 2 catch her in his shadow jutsu._

There was a tense moment as Kyuubi's Chakra was drained, but then it stopped. Byakugan8 was frozen in the spot.

 **Sharingan** : The game's up. No more stealing Chakra 4 u.

Without speaking, Cherry-Blossom13 turned tail and ran, her clan racing after her. Byakugan8 was detained for a moment longer before she was released by the jutsu, but she ended up running as well. Kyuubi stared at his low Chakra level in disgust. Those types of players were the worst. They stole Chakra from stronger players and always avoided full-frontal attack. It was cowardice, plain and simple.

 **Kyuubi** : _Hey, ty 4 that._

 **Sharingan** : _Yw. It was a low move. That's why we move in clans._

 **Kyuubi** : _I c why._

 **Byakugan: Well we're going 2 train & go on missions until we're just below Jounin. Then we lvl up & go 2 the Jounin world as a clan.**

The others gave their assent and they separated to train as they wished. Kyuubi went to the market to buy Chakra boosters and brought his Chakra to its usual 80. He then went to the Kohonagakure library to see if there was anything he could do to make his Rasengan more effective.

A sudden thought struck him from nowhere. If Sasuke was Sharingan, it meant… his crush was gay. How cliché. It sucked so much, like a bad romance movie where everything was obvious and fell into place. Of all the people Sharingan could be, he never thought it would be the only person he'd ever had interest in. Ugh, just thinking about it made his head hurt.

He travelled to the Sunagakure training grounds and found that the tips from the library had actually helped. His Rasengan was stronger and faster than before, but nowhere near as fast as Chidori34. That was where he remained until 9pm, using countless Chakra boosters to assist in his training. Practice made perfect, and that's what he wanted. Why spend so much on a good jutsu if he wouldn't get the most out of it?

The clan had logged off long before that, even Sharingan. He was probably trying to lessen screen time so his migraines would stop. Kyuubi hadn't brought up the migraine topic, only speaking to Sharingan when he left. Even then it was only to say goodnight.

Kyuubi went back to Kohonagakure and headed in the general direction to the house he shared with Sharingan. All his spare gear was in there.

He was stopped by a familiar figure.

 **Cherry-Blossom13** : U wanna fight 4 ur jutsu?

 **Kyuubi** : Huh?

 **Cherry-Blossom13** : We fight. If I win, I get ur jutsu. U win, u keep it.

 **Kyuubi** : U can do that?

 **Cherry-Blossom13** : Ya. Well?

 **Kyuubi** : No. I was actually about 2 go 2 bed…

She attacked with little warning, throwing a kunai at his head. He dodged and responded with shuriken. The shuriken hit her squarely but her form puffed away, revealing a Substitution Jutsu. Kyuubi felt a shuriken hit him, lowering his 35-health, and used his Shadow Clone Jutsu. She threw shuriken at the approaching clones, taking out a good many of them, but there were too many for her to handle. By the time she had backed into a corner, Kyuubi had loaded his Rasengan. It hit her straight-on and she was killed instantly. At least she hadn't used another substitution.

 _Congratulations! You have now reached Jounin level 1!_

o.O.o

Monday's were awful because Naruto had double literacy and double numeracy. He liked the classes, but he hated the people in them.

But today was different. On this particular Monday he was sitting in class, as per usual, when a certain strawberry-blonde-pink-haired girl entered, arguing heatedly with her best friend. They didn't even wave at Sasuke. Naruto averted his eyes like he normally would, but the conversation caught his attention.

"I mean, he killed me! I lost _all_ my shuriken and kunai! When I catch that Kyuubi bastard he's going to pay…"

Oh. Cherry-Blossom13 was Sakura. And he had killed her. Well, it was time to celebrate.


	6. Chapter 6

Normal = General chat

 **Bold** = Clan chat

 _Italic_ = Private chat

 **Chapter 6**

Kyuubi couldn't log onto the Chuunin world, where the rest of his clan was. He had to brave the Jounin world if he wanted to talk to them.

 **Dog-nin48: Hey Kyuubi, where r u? Ur logged in, but ur not here.**

 **Kyuubi: Uh… I should probs tell u… I killed Cherry-Blossom13… & I'm a Jounin.**

 **Byakugan: Awesome! This makes everything so much easier. Okay, we're all going 2 the Jounin world coz doing missions there will lvl us up faster. Kyuubi has his Rasengan and we all have our jutsu.**

 **Shukaku: At least we don't have 2 put up with those annoying Chakra stealers. They're still Chuunin, right?**

 **Kyuubi: Ya. I killed the leader easily. Won't hear from them 4 a while.**

 **Sharingan: Where r u on the map?**

 **Kyuubi: I'm in the desert in the Land of Wind.**

 **Byakugan: We'll meet u in Sunagakure. Ready?**

Everyone stated their readiness and Kyuubi fast-travelled to Sunagakure, where he waited near the travel point. As soon as his clan arrived he grabbed them and they ran from the crowded village.

 **Byakugan: U weren't kidding when u said there were heaps of Jounin.**

 **Dog-nin48: This should make our jobs easier.**

Akamaru spawned beside his owner and they led the random charge into the desert, where they would attack the first people they came across. Two players came into view, a male and female, and they were sharing kissy emotes. Byakugan and Shukaku easily dispatched of them, levelling up to Jounin immediately. They then fast-travelled to Kirigakure and requested a B-rank mission, unsure if A-rank missions were within their Chuunin limitations.

Take the cargo safely from point-A to point-B. Should be easy, right? Well a clan of five attacked them on the road and Kyuubi was barely able to hold them off with his Rasengan. At the end of the fight, everyone but Shadow01 and FOOD-lover had levelled up to Jounin. Kikaichu had almost died, but Akamaru had jumped in and saved him at the last second.

They reached point-B and handed over the cargo, using fast-travel to get back to Kirigakure immediately. Once the mission was completed they were all Jounin.

 **Byakugan: This is awesome! Now we can b Kage!**

 **Dog-nin48: I wanna b a Kage! They've got the best jutsu. Ty Kyuubi.**

 **FOOD-lover: Ya, ty.**

 **Byakugan: Without u we would have died in the clan battle. Ur Rasengan is very handy.**

 **Sharingan: It is. I reckon if I knew u in real life, we'd b friends.**

 **Dog-nin48: Definitely!**

 **Shadow01: Whatever, sure.**

 **BushyBrows: We would be the best of friends and I would challenge you to duels of mental and physical strength!**

 **Shukaku: Okay… u seem cool enough.**

 **Kikaichu: I agree.**

Kyuubi melted with their declarations. Should he tell them the truth? No, he couldn't tell them all at once. He might not tell them at all. But then… he was throwing away a chance to have _friends_ at school. He couldn't not tell them. Besides, it would be super hard to keep such a secret and he would let something slip eventually.

Baby steps. First, he would tell Sharingan.

o.O.o

It was 10pm. Jiraiya had just arrived home and said that he had to go to bed in five minutes. Kyuubi didn't have much time.

He asked Sharingan to stay on, heart beating faster as he knew what he was about to do. When had he become so brave? All throughout his time at Kohona High he had been shy and quiet. He'd been lonely. Now he had a chance to rid himself of the loneliness and he wasn't going to pass it up. Man up and deal with it! These people liked him, they respected him. If he didn't try, he was throwing away a good opportunity. This was high school. He'd never have another chance.

And then there was Sharingan and Sasuke. They were the same person and Kyuubi liked both of them. Plus, Sharingan was gay. That meant Sasuke was gay. No wonder Sasuke never paid any attention to all those girls… At least Kyuubi had a chance.

Swallowing nervously, he entered the house he shared with Sharingan. His housemate was standing at the shelves where they stored their equipment, reorganising everything. It was just them for the moment, as the rest of the clan had logged off an hour ago.

 **Kyuubi** : _Sharingan…_

 **Sharingan** : _Ya?_

 **Kyuubi** : _There's something I need 2 tell u._

 **Sharingan** : _I'm listening._

 **Kyuubi** : _I know who u r._

 **Sharingan** : _What? U know my name? How?_

 **Kyuubi** : _Ur name is Sasuke Uchiha. I know coz I spoke 2 u on Friday. U had a migraine._

He crossed his fingers, heart pounding.

 **Sharingan** : _Naruto?_

 **Kyuubi** : _Ya… that's me._

 **Sharingan** : _U mean u knew who I was & u didn't tell me?_

 **Kyuubi** : _I only figured it out on Friday when u mentioned ur bro. I also figured who BushyBrows, FOOD-lover and Dog-nin48 were. Lee, Choji and Kiba._

 **Sharingan** : _Ur smart. I can't believe this. Our whole clan is made up of the guys in our class. Byakugan is Neji, Shukaku is Gaara, Kikaichu is Shino, & Shadow01 is Shikamaru._

 **Kyuubi** : _I can't believe it either. Its 2 weird._

 **Sharingan** : _Man am I glad we brought u in2 the clan. Like it was meant 2 b._

 **Kyuubi** : _Ya._

 **Sharingan** : _Hey, I'm glad u told me. Wait that's my bro. He wants me 2 get off or I'll get another migraine tomorrow. I'll… c u at school?_

 **Kyuubi** : _Ya. Night._

 **Sharingan** : _Night Naruto._

As Sharingan logged off, Kyuubi let out a shaky breath and logged off too.

o.O.o

This was the moment of truth. Naruto arrived at school the following day and sat in science, shaking like a leaf. He'd walked today, as Jiraiya was still sleeping by the time Naruto was ready to go. The exercise quickened his heartbeat and he tried desperately to still it. Panicking wasn't a smart thing to do.

Gaara and Neji walked in like zombies, holding their science drafts close to their chests. Ah, so that's why they logged off early. They had obviously spent all night on the draft and it showed in their faces. Lee however was as energetic as ever, his draft held tight in a waving hand. He almost bowled Gaara over, but the redhead managed to grab a desk and steady himself.

Shikamaru and Shino looked tired too, but Shikamaru always looked tired, and they had completed drafts. Both promptly laid their heads on their desks and yawned.

Kiba's draft was a little worse for wear, with one corner chewed slightly, but it still had words on it. Choji must've split sauce on his because it looked like the top had been dipped in a puddle of tomatoes. Naruto watched them enter and place their drafts on Orochimaru's desk, his eyes searching for familiar onyx ones.

Instead of onyx eyes, he got emerald green. Sakura flounced through the door and tossed her draft carelessly, smirking as it landed perfectly on the desk. Ino didn't have a draft, but Hinata and Tenten did. Now everyone was present but the Uchiha. Naruto licked his lips nervously and tore his eyes away from the door, reprimanding himself for being so hopeful. Sasuke had probably had another migraine.

No. Those onyx eyes appeared in the door. Their owner didn't go and sit with Neji like he usually did. Instead he took the second-closest seat to the door, right beside Naruto.

The blonde boy looked right as someone sat beside him and a blush filled his cheeks. Sasuke nodded at him, a small smile blessing his face. A smile! Sasuke had smiled at him! Wow, he felt like an obsessed fangirl, but he couldn't help it. Sasuke had been on his mind for almost half the school year. He could feel Sakura's intense glare searing into his back but shrugged it away. Sasuke had never paid any attention to girls and now Naruto knew why.

Crinkled paper hit Sasuke's desk and the dark-haired boy opened the note from Neji.

 _What's up?_

Sasuke wrote a reply and threw it back. _Making new friends._

The boys locked eyes and Naruto swallowed. "Um… hi?"

"Hi," Sasuke replied warmly. He was a lot friendlier than he'd been last week, though it was probably because he was closer to Naruto than he first thought. "How'd you go with the draft?"

"Uh, I finished it ages ago. You?"

"Same. I've had a lot of time to play computer games." He sent Naruto a knowing look. "Have you?"

"Oh yes. I've got a lot of gaming done recently. I play this game _Shinobi_. You heard of it?"

"As a matter of fact I have. I've got a really good friend on the game and his name's Kyuubi."

"My friend's called Sharingan."

They shared a small grin and Orochimaru entered. He checked the pile and rounded on Ino.

o.O.o

Naruto went to the library for lunch as per usual. He sat in the corner and brought out his art diary, continuing the sketch he'd begun in the previous lesson. Fully-prepared to work on the sketch for the whole of lunch, he was surprised when Sasuke joined him with two library laptops.

"So this is where you spend your lunchtimes," Sasuke commented. He opened both laptops.

"Hey, you don't have to do this," Naruto sighed. "You should go sit with your friends and talk. It's your normal lunchtime."

"But I am with my friend." He flicked his eyes to the ground. "You have no idea how happy I was when I found out who you were."

"Oh?"

"After last Friday I was planning on approaching you to thank you for your help. Then you told me you were Kyuubi. Now I can actually talk to you without it being awkward."

"Oh. Well, you're welcome." Naruto blushed and looked at the computer screen. "What're they for?"

"So we can play." Sasuke entered his school password onto one of the laptops and logged in, going straight for the internet where he searched up _Shinobi_. Nodding, Naruto did the same with the second laptop and logged into _Shinobi_ , joining Sasuke on the Jounin world.

As they played, he pushed down the bundle of nerves that was taking root in his stomach. He felt like an idiot for confessing his sexuality to Sharingan just before discovering his true identity, but there was no way to take it back. Somehow they would have to broach the subject and that would be really awkward. Why, oh why did he feel so confident when he confessed? Then again, at least it was Sasuke and not some random guy who was lying about his age. Now _that_ would have been bad. So overall it could have been worse. Now he just had to figure out a way of either acting on his crush or forgetting about it. And he didn't want to forget about it.

The bell went, signalling the end of lunch.


	7. Chapter 7

Normal = General chat

 **Bold** = Clan chat

 _Italic_ = Private chat

 **Chapter 7**

It was 8pm by the time Kyuubi was able to go online. He was attacked by Sharingan straight away.

 **Sharingan** : _Ur late._

 **Kyuubi** : _I'm sorry. Jiraiya actually came home early & we had dinner. He was tired & only just went 2 bed._

 **Sharingan** : _Well I came across that Chidori34 guy. I died._

 **Kyuubi** : _Oh…_

 **Sharingan** : _It's ok. My bro gave me some stuff. He's on the game, u know. His clan is Akatsuki. They're really good, almost Kage lvl._

 **Kyuubi** : _If we want 2 beat them we'll have 2 work harder._

 **Sharingan** : _A lot harder. But we're on a lot more._

 **Kyuubi** : _I guess, but we'll b on exams soon._

 **Sharingan** : _I love you and want your babies._

He jumped in his chair before narrowing his eyes. Sharingan didn't use perfect spelling.

 **Kyuubi** : _Is this ur bro?_

 **Sharingan** : _Hi! I'm Itachi, more commonly known as SharinganS. Very pleased to meet you. What's your name?_

 **Kyuubi** : _Naruto, a friend of Sasuke's from school._

 **Sharingan** : _Ah sorry. That was my bro… he got me in a headlock & did all that._

 **Kyuubi** : _He's weird._

 **Sharingan** : _I know. Hey, u want 2 sit with us tomorrow? At school?_

 **Kyuubi** : _Idk._

 **Sharingan** : _We can tell them who u r and they won't judge._

 **Kyuubi** : _I'd like that. Now u should get off. I don't want u getting more migraines._

He could sense the weirdness in that sentence, but he didn't regret it. Kyuubi cared about Sharingan even more now that he knew it was Sasuke on the other end. Now he had a chance to actually get close to his crush. Maybe they did have a chance. Maybe it wasn't as impossible as people thought – the loser and the popular boy.

 **Sharingan** : _Come on. I waited all afternoo come online. Can we do 1 mission b4 I get off?_

 **Kyuubi** : _Ok, just as long as its D-rank._

They'd never done a mission in Kusagakure. It was an easy one; they had to walk six dogs. Kyuubi took three and Sharingan took three and they walked the dogs all over the village, crossing the Tenchi Bridge to allow the dogs to drink some water. What a nice and relaxing mission. And nobody attacked them too! That was a bonus.

Upon returning the dogs and visiting the Kusagakure tower, they were paid a small amount and said goodnight. Sharingan logged off first, promising to drink some water, and Kyuubi followed soon after. There didn't seem to be any point in playing _Shinobi_ if Sharingan wasn't there with him.

o.O.o

He'd earned this! After spending nearly two terms at Kohona High alone, Naruto was allowed to make friends. He was going to do this and he wouldn't be lonely again. And he might even get a chance with Sasuke, the guy he'd liked for four months. He could kiss those soft pink lips and receive hickeys that the entire world could see. No. He tore himself away from the fantasy and flushed, staring at the clock while waiting for graphics to end.

Sasuke was going to meet Naruto at his locker when lunch began and from there, take the blonde to meet the Hidden-Leaf clan for real.

 _Bring!_

Naruto bolted from his chair, nearly leaving his books behind, and raced to his locker. Sasuke wasn't there yet, so Naruto used the time to take a deep breath and trade his books for a sandwich. He'd never actually eaten during the lunch break before.

"Hey Naruto."

The blonde turned and smiled shyly. "Hey Sasuke."

"You ready?"

Naruto took a deep breath. "No."

The onyx-eyed boy shrugged and gestured off into the distance. "Well come on then. I told the guys that I had someone I wanted them to meet."

Nodding, Naruto shut his locker and fell into step beside Sasuke. As they approached the door to go outside, Sasuke stepped back for Naruto to go through first. Naruto did go through the door and he felt a hand on his back. Sasuke's hand. His stomach pulsed without warning and he held his breath as the other boy removed his hand and fell into step with him. It wouldn't do to feel these emotions during his big moment. Just be friends for now.

They crossed the school yard where it seemed the entire school population was eating and laughing. Sasuke led Naruto through the initial throng and to the back of the yard, where seven familiar boys lolled in the shade. The two boys joined the others and every eye fell on Naruto.

"This is your friend?" Neji said evenly. He appraised the blonde boy with pale eyes. "Naruto Uzumaki, from our core classes."

"Actually, I would like to introduce you to Kyuubi," Sasuke smirked. His friends froze.

Kiba was the first to speak. "No way! It was you the whole time? Come on! Sit down! Shino, budge over. We're sitting with a legend here." He patted the ground beside him. "Come on bud. I told you we'd be friends in real life."

Naruto's throat constricted and he shakily sat, squishing between Kiba and Shino. Sasuke raised his eyebrow and sent the blonde boy a smug look, to which Naruto blushed and smiled shyly. No one missed the look and Kiba wolf-whistled. Sasuke looked away and sat with Neji, taking a salad wrap from his uniform pocket.

It was easily the best lunch he'd ever had. As an act of friendship, Choji had offered Naruto some chips. Apparently it was very rare for Choji to offer people food. Kiba and Lee exchanged friendly banter, Shikamaru slept, Shino and Gaara were silent and Neji and Sasuke talked quietly about upcoming exams.

Belonging was a new feeling for Naruto. Sitting amongst this group of boys he could feel the care they had towards him. They were his friends. He had to thank _Shinobi_ for that, because without that game he would still be alone in the library. Without _Shinobi_ , he wouldn't have a chance with Sasuke. He wouldn't even know that his crush was gay too. But how would he broach the subject? It would take time and a whole lot of awkwardness.

The bell for the end of lunch sounded and Naruto stood nervously, beginning to move away towards his locker. Sasuke fell into step with him and the two boys headed off together, leaving their friends behind to exchange knowing looks.

o.O.o

"Sup loser?"

Naruto looked behind him and saw Sakura heading towards him. He flushed and tightened his grip on his school bag. Man, he couldn't catch a break! All he wanted to do was walk home, eat some ramen and do his homework before logging onto the computer. Sakura would ruin his whole afternoon.

She came level with him and grabbed his arm, stopping him from walking further. He didn't want to hurt her, or make it worse for him, so he stood quietly and let her words pierce him. On the bright side he only had to put up with her for two more terms before graduation and then he was out of there.

"Hey!"

A familiar voice stopped the tirade of abuse and angry words. Naruto and Sakura both turned and saw Sasuke approaching, looking pissed and wheeling a bike along beside him. Sakura immediately let Naruto go and smoothed her hair back, flashing a smile.

"Oh, hello Sasuke! Fancy seeing you here!"

Sasuke marched up to them and grabbed Naruto with his free hand, pulling the blonde behind him. "Leave my friend alone."

"Your friend?" She frowned. "I'm sorry; I seem to have misheard you."

"No. Naruto is my friend. Now back off." He glared at her once and turned to Naruto. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, smiling gratefully. Maybe now he didn't have to put up with Sakura's nastiness. Maybe now he had someone who would defend him. Maybe he didn't have to be a weakling anymore.

"Well come on. You're coming to my place."

Sakura stared at the two in shock. "Honestly Sasuke, you're going insane."

Emboldened by Sasuke's presence, Naruto gathered up the confidence to snipe back. "Hey Cherry Blossom, Kyuubi says hello." He grabbed Sasuke's shirt and tugged him. The dark-haired boy smirked and led Naruto away, leaving Sakura standing there spluttering indignantly.

They walked silently for a few minutes, both wanting to talk but not sure what to say.

"You wanna come over?" Sasuke ventured, pushing the bike along the path and away from school and Sakura.

"Sure. Hey, thanks."

"I told you, I'm protective over my friends."

"I know, but still… thanks."

"How do you put up with her?"

"Well if I don't it gets worse, so I just let her run her course. And I've never had someone there to defend me."

"You do now." Sasuke allowed a small smile. "The guys like you. They've taken you under their wing."

"And thank you for that too."

"Well you cared for me and listened when I was sick. And you put up with me online and trusted me with your secrets." He broke off and bit his lip. "My home is just ahead. It's not far from school."

"Are your parents' home?"

"They're dead. I live with my brother."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I barely remember them anyway."

Sasuke turned off the path and pushed his bike up the driveway towards a neat little cottage. It looked incredibly cosy and the green grass and garden were beautiful. Vines ran up the white painted walls and a picket fence completed the look.

"Your home is beautiful," Naruto said softly.

"Itachi always wanted to live in a cottage like this. What's your place like?"

"It's an apartment block and nowhere near as lovely as this."

Smirking, Sasuke laid his bike down and took Naruto through the front door, entering the living room. It was bright and airy inside with mostly light furniture and it smelt like flowers.

"So if two boys live in this house, why does it smell like two girls do?"

Sasuke smirked. "My brother and I are both gay. We're fine with it."

At the mention of gay, Naruto flushed a deep red. Well, at least Sasuke was the one who'd brought it up and not Naruto. "Oh. Okay."

Someone bounded into the front room and enveloped both boys in a huge hug. "Hi Sasuke! Hi Sasuke's friend! Is this Naruto? I'm sure it is!"

Naruto froze as Itachi moved back, staring at the man. He was an older version of Sasuke, only he had a huge smile plastered on his face and was wearing a pink button-up and jeans instead of school uniform.

"Dammit Itachi, are you _trying_ to freak him out?" Sasuke glared.

"Yes. I'm still your big brother and you talked non-stop about this boy all last night."

" _Itachi_."

Naruto almost choked. He had a… he had a chance? Did Sasuke actually like him too? Before knowing of the others identity, they had flirted on _Shinobi_ but that couldn't count.

The older Uchiha grinned crazily. "I'll get some tea. It looks like you have some stuff to talk about." He breezed from the room, humming cheerfully.

Sasuke rounded on Naruto. "I'm sorry! He's not usually like this!"

"It's okay. What stuff…?" Naruto tilted his head and grinned. "Sasuke Uchiha, do you have a confession?" His heart thumped so loudly into the silence that followed and he immediately regretted his words. Sasuke stared for the longest moment before sitting on the living room couch. The blonde continued to stand, his eyes averted from Sasuke's. He'd made it awkward.

"Sit down," Sasuke finally murmured. The blonde obeyed and sat, facing the onyx-eyed boy. "I do have a confession." He took a deep breath. "I like you. A lot."

"I-"

"Shh. Let me talk. When Kyuubi joined the clan I started liking him. And after that I started noticing you. I saw Sakura picking on you and I wanted to step in and save you, but I didn't and I felt like the biggest idiot. Then I met you in the sickbay and we talked and it got better. But I still liked Kyuubi more. Then… then you told me the truth and I couldn't help myself. I wanted to get to know you better. So I invited you to meet my friends and they saw through me immediately." He glanced at Naruto, but the blonde boy was staring at the ground. "Getting to know Kyuubi has only made me like you more and I… I was wondering if you'd maybe, please, kinda, wanna, go out with me?" Now it was his turn to stare at the ground.

Naruto was silent for another long moment, stilling his racing heart. "Yeah. Yeah, I will."

They stared at each other. "You… you… you will?" Sasuke swallowed and stared wide-eyed.

"Uh huh. It'd be stupid to say no." Tears welled at the corners of Naruto's eyes. Not alone… he wouldn't be alone anymore. He wouldn't be bullied and there were people who cared for him. Jiraiya wouldn't be his only company.

Sasuke caught his breath and closed the small distance between them both, crushing his lips against Naruto's. It was a rough kiss – hardly the best – but the meaning behind it was clear enough.

They broke apart when Itachi pranced into the room, squealing in delight. "I knew it Sasuke! Here's your tea!" He set the tray down on the coffee table and began to pour, ignoring the beet-red boys on the couch.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you to everyone who followed, favourited, reviewed and read the story. I hope you enjoyed it, SasuNaru all the way!

o.O.o

Normal = General chat

 **Bold** = Clan chat

 _Italic_ = Private chat

 **Chapter 8**

Things should have been better at this school, and they were.

Naruto Uzumaki had arrived at Kohona High at the beginning of the school year and was immediately pegged as a geek and a loser, dropping his chance at making friends. His guardian, a well-known publisher, had urged the boy to go outside his protective shell and strive to gain friendships that would last for years. Jiraiya's words, not Naruto's. Needless to say, Naruto didn't have the confidence to do that.

That was why he'd started playing _Shinobi_.

He met Sharingan and the Hidden-Leaf clan and they'd developed close bonds. He made friends at school and even a boyfriend, the best person he'd ever known: Sasuke Uchiha.

With Sasuke, there was no need to be shy. Naruto was able to let his true, excitable, knuckle-headed self break free and everyone was startled by the transformation. He was loud and happy and always smiled and offered kind words. To everyone but Sakura, that is.

Friends were good. He went over to their houses and they came to his. The Uchiha cottage became a second home to him and Itachi stopped being weird and flamboyantly gay. Like Sasuke said, Itachi wasn't usually like that.

And the two boys… well, they fell in love. Thanks to a computer game.

o.O.o

"Good morning my youthful comrades!" Lee shouted, bouncing over to where Naruto, Sasuke, Neji and Kiba sat at the back of the school yard. "How are we on this fine day?"

Neji shrugged. "I'm good. Did you hear that Shikamaru and Choji skipped? They went to get some fast food and never came back. I'll bet the fools went to go see a movie or something. Shikamaru probably fell asleep."

"You'd expect something like that from Shikamaru and Choji," Sasuke said mildly, turning on the ground so his and Naruto's joined hands were visible.

Kiba chuckled. "And I got in trouble for bringing Akamaru to school. They should get in trouble for skipping so close to the end."

"Ah, give them a break," Naruto grinned. "Choji was hungry like always, and you never cross him when he's hungry."

Lee laughed at that and flopped down beside Naruto. "So when will you two join us in the Kage world? You've been Jounin for months!"

Sasuke shrugged. "We've been busy Lee. You guys don't know how hard it is to handle a relationship _and_ school _and_ gaming time. Plus I've got the devil incarnate constantly demanding I take him out for dinner or a walk-"

"I am _not_ the devil incarnate!" Naruto cried indignantly.

"Could've fooled me," his boyfriend snickered.

The bell for fifth period rang and the boys stood tiredly, stretching the kinks from their bones. They promised to go online that night and work on levelling up. Sasuke kissed Naruto's cheek and the couple separated, one heading for music and the other to art.

o.O.o

The two Jounin limped back to the Kohonagakure tower with low health and Chakra. A-rank missions on Jounin worlds were absolutely brutal, even for level 9's.

 **Kyuubi** : I thought we'd fail that 1.

 **Sharingan** : Me 2. Ur really good at Rasengan.

 **Kyuubi** : Well ur good at ur Amaterasu. U nearly burned the whole forest.

They went into Tsunade's office and collected the money.

 _Congratulations! You have reached Kage level 1!_

 **Kyuubi** : U get that?

 **Sharingan** : Ya. Now we can join the rest of the clan in Kage world.

 **Kyuubi** : They left us behind 4 long enough.

 **Sharingan** : Let's go.

It took a second for them to log off the Jounin world and into the Kage world. They were immediately greeted by their clan.

 **Dog-nin48: U made it!**

 **BushyBrows: The clan is complete!**

 **Shukaku: Goo make an appearance.**

 **Sharingan: Ya, nic 2. U gone against Akatsuki yet?**

 **Byakugan: No, we were waiting 4 u.**

 **Kyuubi: Aww that's sweet! Ty guys!**

 **Dog-nin48: It wasn't my idea.**

 **Shadow01: Well let's do all that tomorrow. Our final exams start soon & we need 2 study.**

 **Byakugan: Ur right. We'll catch up tomorrow. Cyas.**

As the players logged off one-by-one, Kyuubi and Sharingan said their goodbyes.

 **Sharingan** : _Night Naruto. Ily._

 **Kyuubi** : _Actually say it._

 **Sharingan** : _I love u._

 **Kyuubi** : _I love u 2 Sasuke. Night._

o.O.o

 _Owari_


End file.
